Answer:
Note that in California, there are THREE ways to create agency: by agreement, by ratification, and by estoppel.
Explanation:
1. Written or expressed - An oral or written contract in which the parties state the contract's terms and express their intentions in words. We agree orally to the terms of our agency relationship, wherein you will hire me to market your property or represent you as a buyer's agent.
2. Implied - A contract under which the agreement of the parties is demonstrated by their acts and conduct. Example: "I'll help you buy a house; so don't work with anyone else because I will be your agent. Let's go look at some houses today."
3. Ostensible Agency - An actual agency relationship that arises by the actions of the parties rather than by express agreement. For example, the owner of a property knows a broker is showing the owner's vacant lot to prospective buyers without authority to do so. Unless the owner takes steps to stop such unauthorized showings, the law considers that third parties have a just cause to believe the broker to be the "owner's broker." This situation is called an ostensible agency because on the surface an agency appears to exist. Once this type of agency is created, the owner is prevented by estoppel* from denying its existence.
*Estoppel - A legal doctrine by which a person is prevented from asserting rights or facts that are inconsistent with a previous position or representation made by act, conduct, or silence.
4. Ratification - A method of creating an agency relationship in which the principal (seller or buyer) accepts the conduct of someone who acted without prior authorization as the principal's agent. Example: A licensee who shows a property without the owner's prior approval, and then the owner agrees to work with the agent to sell the property.
Note that in California, there are THREE ways to create agency: by agreement, by ratification, and by estoppel.
